New group to help Aboriginal renal patients get home

Made up of Central Australian non-government organisations, the Kidney Action Network will lobby governments to improve the lives and treatment of renal patients from remote indigenous communities.

At the launch of a new lobby group for Indigenous renal patients, Mick Gooda was quoted as saying Alice Springs is 'the epicentre of renal failure.'

The Manager of the Western Desert Dialysis Project Sarah Brown says governments had the chance to act after they spent $300, 000 commissioning the Central Australian Renal Study in 2010.

"(The report) said that there should be more dialysis out bush, so more people should be able to stay at home, and that Alice Springs should be the hub for the tri state region (NT, SA and WA).

"Really nothing has happened since that report, so we're calling on all levels of government to work with communities and community organisations to try and improve life for dialysis patients," she said.

Valerie Foster has lived in Alice Springs for nearly seven months now so she can receive treatment, and was one of the renal patients at the launch.

She says its tough being more than 900 km's away from her home of Wanarn in WA.

"It's good to come down and have your dialysis, but in a way I'm really sad because I'm away from my family back home.

"I believe people should start listening to us renal patients about what we want, we need something in our communities," she said.

You can listen to the extended interview with Valerie Foster by clicking on the audio.